We’re most glad to announce the launch of the “Under One Sky” Call for Proposals thanks to the support of Leiden Observatory and the NWO Communication Award 2020. This call intends to support projects in and around the United Nations International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples celebrated on 9 August 2022. Projects must use cultural astronomy, astronomy outreach and communication to recognize indigenous knowledge, respect indigenous learning systems with a rights-based approach to indigenous learning. The call is open to everyone and projects led by indigenous communities are favoured.
Last issue we announced the launch of the 2021 “100 Hours of Astronomy” IAU Outreach Global Project. We want to thank all of you that already submitted activities and events to our IAU Outreach Event Calendar. We are almost reaching 100 activities registered between 1-4 October (these activities will receive OAO goodies, including CAPjournal printed editions).
In this issue, we want to congratulate the winners of the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education's astrophotography contest and IAU Press Officer Lars Lindberg Christensen winner of the 2021 Klumpke-Roberts Award. We also want to encourage you to apply to our Deputy Director vacancy and join our team in Tokyo.
Last but not least a word of appreciation to our NOCs that, on an ongoing basis, share with us astronomy outreach, public engagement and communication initiatives in their regions and communities. Thank you very much, your efforts are an inspiration to us and the global community.
Wishing you the clearest skies and good health!
Lina Canas, on behalf of the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Team
1) IAU Vacancy: IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Deputy Director
The IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach is hiring for the position of Deputy Director. If you are enthusiastic about astronomy outreach and enjoy actively engaging with a global and diverse group of people, join our team in Tokyo by applying to our Deputy Director vacancy! The deadline is September 30, 2021.
"Under One Sky " call for proposals supports projects in and around the United Nations International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples celebrated on 9 August 2022. Projects must use cultural astronomy, astronomy outreach and communication to recognize indigenous knowledge, respect indigenous learning systems with a rights-based approach to indigenous learning.
The call is open to everyone and projects led by indigenous communities will be favoured. Proposals must be submitted online by 23:59 (your) local time on 31 December 2021.
3) Winners of the IAU OAE Astrophotography Contest Announced
The Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) Astrophotography Contest received nearly 700 images from 57 countries. The winning photos, are now available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International License. This allows their free use as long as proper credits are given. These images serve as an open educational resource to benefit teachers and learners worldwide.
4) The XXXI General Assembly Business Sessions Draw to a Close
The XXXI General Assembly Business Sessions of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) ended on August 26. The virtual meetings as well as the pre-GA programs featuring "The IAU Today" are now available for viewing through YouTube. In particular, the second pre-GA set of presentations on August 26 which did not stream properly on YouTube can now be accessed. The scientific sessions of the XXXI General Assembly will take place in Busan in August 2022.
5) IAU Press Officer Lars Lindberg Christensen Receives 2021 Klumpke-Roberts Award
We congratulate IAU Press Officer Lars Lindberg Christensen on receiving the 2021 Klumpke-Roberts Award, announced by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) on 24 August 2021. This prestigious prize, whose previous recipients include Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov, recognises individuals who have made outstanding contributions to public understanding and appreciation of astronomy.
6) News from our NOCs: Colombia and Dominican Republic
a) XIX meeting of the Astronomy Network of Colombia
The XIX Meeting of the Red de Astronomía de Colombia (RAC) 2021 on "Light pollution and Dark Skies as a World Heritage Site" will be held virtually from 15 - 17 October 2021 (the meeting will be in Spanish).
b) Cooperation Agreement Signed with the Youth Ministry
On August 6, the first cooperation agreement with the Youth Ministry of the Dominican Republic was signed. Through this agreement, the astronomy community is establishing channels to obtain logistic support on activities for astronomy outreach, astronomy for education, and astronomy for development using national infrastructures and increase the benefits in bringing astronomy to the young population of the country.
Catch a Star 2022 Contest is now open to submissions. A large number of teams from different European countries participate in the call sharing research works carried out in their classrooms. Catch a Star 2022 will start on November 1, 2021 and the deadline to send the projects is February 28, 2022.
8) Second Workshop on Astronomy Beyond the Common Senses for Accessibility and Inclusion
The second workshop on “Astronomy Beyond the Common Senses for Accessibility and Inclusion” virtual workshop will be held on November 17-18, 2021. This is an interdisciplinary meeting with the participation of astronomers, educators and disability specialists. This workshop provides an opportunity to continue promoting new strategies, working toward specific objectives, sharing experiences and discussing recent applications.
a) STEM XR: Collaborative Interdisciplinary Workshop on Science Communication in Virtual Worlds
Location: Virtual
Date: 1 October 2021 - 1 January 2022
Website: https://stemxr.org
Japanese:https://bit.ly/36XeKZr
Translations are thanks to Akihiko Tomita, through the Astronomy Translation Network.
You can subscribe to the Japanese newsletter through the Japanese Amateur Astronomers Association (http://www.jaaa-astro.jp/jaaa-ml.html) or the Japanese Society for Education and Popularization of Astronomy (http://www.tenkyo.net/).
If you are interested in translating the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach Newsletter into your language, please email public@oao.iau.org.
11) Contribute to the IAU Astronomy Outreach Newsletter
We’re always looking to include news about astronomy outreach, communication and public engagement from around the world in the next newsletter from the IAU Office for Astronomy Outreach. If you have an astronomical event, job, opportunity, educational resource, or anything else that would be of interest to the astronomy outreach community, send us an email at public@oao.iau.org with more information.
You can send us your suggestions through the 4th for issue #1 and the 17th for issue #2 of each month. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
